Tony Mowbray issues an appeal to Birmingham City fans amid…

Tony Mowbray has sent an appeal to Birmingham City fans in the midst of the current Jordan James affair.

Tony Mowbray’s first two games as Birmingham City manager have given him something to think about, as the team advanced in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

After a 2-2 draw at St Andrew’s against Swansea City in his first Championship game as Blues manager, his side made a second-half comeback to upset Hull City in the Third Round replay. Koji Miyoshi’s 94th minute strike gave the former Sunderland manager his first success in the second city.

Tony Mowbray makes a plea to Birmingham City supporters

Despite being in charge of B9 for just over a week, Mowbray has been pushed into the role at a critical moment in the season, with his hiring coinciding with the January transfer window, which is now around halfway through.

Jordan James, an academy product of St Andrew’s, has been linked with a move away after a mixed season at the club.

Mowbray was full of praise for his varied effort against the Tigers, which eventually saw him return to his natural center midfield role amid the five substitutions used to change the tide.

“We played him fake nine at first, then dropped him back to six, and he was spraying it all around. “He’s a lovely footballer and a lovely kid,” he told Birmingham Live.

However, the 60-year-old said that Birmingham does not want to sell another prodigy, but urged fans to understand that the money will be recouped by pushing the club in the direction of Tom Wagner’s well-documented aspirations.

“Is anyone interested in him? Maybe. What is the number? “We don’t want to sell our best young players, but if we get a number that allows us to bring in four players, I hope the fans understand it’s only to make the football club better quickly,” Mowbray said.

“We can all see that he is talented. I enjoy watching him break away from players. He alters his pace. He’s like one of those nitrous oxide-powered vehicles; he can put his foot down and go off.

He concluded, “I can see why he is coveted. He plays for his country and has six goals. We’ll see how it progresses over the next few weeks. Hopefully he’s still here performing his job, whether it’s an eight, a six, or a ten; he can do them all.”

Atalanta’s Interest in Jordan James

The Serie A club has the most interest in the 19-year-old, but has yet to be successful in their pursuit.

TuttoAtalanta announced last Thursday that they had reached a verbal agreement with the Wales international for a contract in Italy. However, key details of the deal with Birmingham are still being finalized.

According to Italian writer Rudy Galetti (via Birmingham Live), Blues were reportedly requesting a €10 million fee, but have only offered more than €5 million plus bonuses thus far. This follows two previous bids that were also rejected before January 3rd.

Jordan James excels under Tony Mowbray.

It’s unsurprising that the midfielder has already piqued his new manager’s interest in the short time they’ve worked together, including Saturday’s last-gasp equaliser against Swansea.

As James’ potential is far greater than where the club currently stands, the continuous attention and fee requested by his current employers makes for a potentially interesting finale to the affair.

The ongoing scenario puts the two sides in a difficult position, as no one associated to the club wants to lose such a significant person on the team, but the money might be used to reinvest in a variety of positions. However, with only about two weeks remaining in the window, time isn’t exactly on Blues’ side if he leaves.